Sunday, March 16, 2014

An interview got Joe Bongiorno inhot water

Joe Bongiorno Taken Off Meadowlands Mounts

After Making Questionable Comments

By Bill Finley When interviewed last night on the Meadowlands in-houseand simulcast feeds driver Joe Bongiorno made commentsabout two of his horses that led many to believe he wouldnot try to win the races. With sixth race starter Shoobee’s

Place and eighth racestarter Code Word,Bongiorno mentionedthat with next week’sLevy Series at Yonkerscoming up that he wasunder instructions fromthe horses’s connectionsto take it easy on thisnight. Minutes after theinterview aired theMeadowlands judgestook Bongiorno off bothhorses. “He made somecomments that he wasconsidering driving themin a manner more aimingfor next week rather thantonight,” said

Meadowlands judge John Tomasello. “We are concernedwith the betting public here tonight and we wanted to seethese horses driven in a way where they are given everychance to win. I don’t want to see someone not take achance when faced with the opportunity. “I have spoken to Joe . I am not saying that Joe was goingto drive not to win, but he might not have been as aggressiveas need to be to win. In the best interests of the bettingpublic we thought it necessary to make changes.” Bongiorno admitted that he didn’t exactly pick the rightwords but insisted he never would have purposefully lostwith either horse. “I guess I worded it wrong,” he said. “I shouldn’t have said Iwas going to race the horse conservatively. I am out there towin every race I am in. Watch me drive any race and ifanything I am too aggressive. What I meant to say was I wasgoing to race the horse off the helmet but I am still obviouslygoing to try to win. Heading into the Levy I wasn’t going to beputting that horse on the lead or coming a hard first over.The plan was to race off the helmet, close home andhopefully win the race. I am always trying to win races.That’s why I am in the business. I am very competitive and Iwould never do anything not to win a horse race. It was abad choice of words, that’s all.”

Bongiorno said he had no problem with the judges’decision to take him off the horses. “I understand why they did that,” he said. “It was adecision they had to make because I am sure they weregetting a lot of grief from bettors and people calling in.” With Marcus Miller driving, Shoobee’s Place was secondearly before fading to fourth. Code Word was never in thehunt for substitute driver Steve Smith as he was seventhfor much of the way and finished eighth. Bongiorno was allowed to drive his other scheduledmounts on the night. Unwittingly, Bongiorno, 20, put himself in the middle of aharness racing controversy that never goes away. Whetherit is in elimination races or preps for major stakes, trainersoftentimes don’t want their horses to go all out so that theyhave plenty left in reserve for the night when the bigmoney is down. That attitude is a pet peeve for bettorswho don’t always know who is trying and who isn’t in someof the events with small purses that attract big-time horses. The day wasn’t a total loss for Bongiorno as he won tworaces at Freehold. Bongiorno has 13 wins at the currentMeadowlands meet.

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Yes, It is Time To Eliminate Claiming Races

Maybe you saw a letter to the editor here at HarnessRacing Update. Maybe you heard an industry insidermention it in passing. Perhaps you read Darryl Kaplan'spiece about it. There's a little bit of support out there inracing land to do what many would believe is unthinkable.Eliminate claiming races. When claiming races began (long ago now), they werecreated for a few reasons. It was a neat way to make amarket for horseflesh; you put a price on a horse andanyone could buy them. It really wasn't too bad of a way toinvite easy participation in the sport, as well; "want a piece ofthis horse I am claiming tonight? It will cost you $5,000." The main reason, though, was that it made for some prettyexciting racing. When horses are classified in claimers, it'sthe ultimate in unbridled capitalism. If your horse is worth$40,000, you should be in a $40,000 claimer, because that'swhere he or she will make money. If you own a 50 and racehim or her in a 40, the horse will get claimed. If your horse isa 30 and you race him or her in a 40, you won't make anymoney. Someone should name a claiming series after AdamSmith. This created something racing needed, and needed badly:Handle. Ultra-competitive 40 claimers were a staple of thebusiness, and the race contentiousness supplied bettors withexcellent race puzzles. The large handle these races drew,was turned into purses. It's what makes the racingecosystem function. Now that you read the above you might be saying, "Thatsounds great. Why would we ever want to change it?" We need to change it because the racing world it was setup for no longer exists, and in today's racing it does moreharm than good. It's 2014. I can buy anything I want, at any time, any place,on the web. eBay will be selling something tonight that youmight've had to travel to a Sotheby's auction to buy twentyyears ago. With online horse sales, and actual horse sales,there is a modern, efficient, and much better marketavailable for people to buy and sell horses. And it's a lotmore honest too. I remember speaking with a friend years ago who knewnothing about racing. He asked me about claiming races andwhen he did, he was flummoxed. " All those horses are for sale," I told him.

"Can you look at them first, see their vet records,examine if they are healthy?" he questioned. "No", I replied. It's buyer beware. "Really?", he asked. "If you want to buy a home and findout the house is damaged, with the seller knowingly notdisclosing it, that can be construed as fraud. What kind ofinvestors are you trying to attract?" This friend is not a dumb guy. In fact, he's the smartestperson I know and is now a top private banker. He's thekind of person racing would love to attract as a buyer ofhorseflesh. And he has a point. At a horse sale you can look for lameness, ask questionsand get a general overview of the animal. Online you canarrange the same thing. Racing doesn't have to, norshould it be proud of a system that can hoodwink people toget into the business. A claiming system might've beenneeded to create a market, but it's not a very good market,and in 2014, we simply don't need it anymore. Next, slots dollars have completely turned the claiminggame on its head. With purses sometimes above thehorses purchase price, it's created a bizarre system. Costshave gone up, vet work has gone up, but a claiming pricestays the same. This is the imbalance that has led to the"rent a horse" phenomenon, where horses were earningtheir purchase price back in weeks, not months. You knowhow it goes in some places; you claim a horse for $10,000and race him for $12,000 in seven days. Horses wereswitching barns more often than Jason Settlemoir switchesties.

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On or around 2006, the Ontario Racing Commission had tolegislate against this, to protect the horses and the integrityof the business, so they told us. Just this past year inThoroughbred racing this same intervention occurred atAqueduct. The State stepped in there too, after horsesstarted breaking down, and they addressed races that werebordering on being downright silly. With this shock to the money-system, it brought in thesyndicates, who played the game to a "t". What it createdwere superstables, with supertrainers. Because of the purseimbalance, the old claiming races were no longer the besthandle races, they were beginning to be some of the worst.40% off the claim trainers were jamming horses down to winpurses at 3-5. If whispers accompanied that trainer, no onewould claim off him, creating claiming race after claimingrace with one or two horses against overmatched foes. Thisonly exacerbated the falling handles, along with hurting newinvestor interest. What did it do to the horse population; the thing that anyrace office needs to help card bettable races? It hurt there,too. Go back to 2008 and look at a 30 claimer at a big slotstrack, then go look at where some of those horses were ayear later. Now, compare that to the 1980's where a solid 30claimer may get claimed once or twice. Chances are thatheavy hitter was racing the following year, or two years, orthree years in a similar class, not in a four claimersomewhere, or disappearing completely. Modern claiming races are nothing like they were in thepast. So, if they don't help the horse population, they createunbettable races, they attract "whisper" trainers, theyhamper new investment, and they create less purse money,well, what are they good for? It's time to replace them. At tracks like the Meadowlands, for example, the lowestclass is hand-picked through classification. And it seems towork. There's no one jamming because they can't jam. If ahorse gets hot, he or she can't keep winning at a low class tosteal purse money, the horse must move up. This createsbettable races, and an ecosystem that's built on economics,not slots-fed purse shocks. New systems can allow a racetrack hierarchy to be set up,like the government is doing in Ontario (along with eightpartner tracks). There are the top rung cards at places likeWoodbine, middling cards at places like Western Fair, andlower class cards at regional tracks. This hierarchy helpscreate balanced cards where everyone can make somemoney - if you have a good horse you can make plenty ofmoney and if you have a bad horse you have to race himwhere he can make money. On any given day you can countthe pure claiming races like they were once written in theprovince, on one hand. The handle in the province has beenup. It's 2014 and the old rules no longer apply. For racing tocard better races, be more relevant and equitable as aninvestment vehicle, changes have to be made. We can buyand sell horses on the Internet, or at horse sales. Thebusiness can put a better face on investment by saying it'snot "I landed a sucker to claim my horse with a hairline" to

"here are some vetted horses for sale, bidding starts at 3.Who wants in?" It can card better races to attract morebetting dollars, which support higher purses. That can be achieved, in part, by eliminating claimingraces.

If There Were a Mt. Rushmore For Harness

Racing Who Would Be On It?

By Dean HoffmanLet's imagine that somewhere inAmerica there is a large section ofgranite tailor-made for chiselingthe visages of harness racing'sgreatest figures-equine andhuman--- to look out over the land.It would be harness racing's MountRushmore. The sculptor would need a wideexpanse because we've decidednot to limit the monument to fourpresident, as Gutzon Borglum didon Mount Rushmore, but instead aquartet in four categories: (1)

horses, (2) trainers, (3) drivers, and (4)movers andshakers.

HORSES 1. Dan Patch - He was a great American hero at a timewhen Americans knew and loved horses---and used themin everyday life. Dan Patch eventually paced himself out ofcompetition and his owner M.W. Savage sent him onbarnstorming tours around the country to race against thestopwatch. Perfect manners made Dan Patch the ultimateexhibition horse. He clung like a shadow to a gallopingThoroughbred hooked to a cart, used to provide Dan with awindshield. The sub-2:00 times he recorded wereastonishing in an era when a top horse was lucky to beat2:10. His official best with the windshield was 1:55-1/4.

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(His fastest mile "in the open" ---without a windshield--- was1:58). In his era, Dan Patch was truly America's horse. 2. Greyhound - He was truly a horse of a different colorand the long-striding grey gelding kept the public interestedin harness racing during the depths of the Depression in the1930s. Like Dan Patch, he lacked suitable competition andthus had to stage numerous time trials. His 1:55-1/4 mile in1938 stood as the ultimate speed standard for trotters for 31years.3. Bret Hanover - He had it all: pedigree, physique, andtalent. He was the high-school quarterback who dated theprettiest cheerleader. Bret won the first 35 races of hiscareer without a defeat, often racing over half-mile tracksand from all post positions. His 1:53.3 mile in 1966 tookpacing speed to a new level and he retired as the fastest andrichest Standardbred in history. He was voted Horse of theYear in each of the three seasons he raced.4. Niatross - Carefully handled by trainer-driver ClintGalbraith through an unbeaten season of 13 races as afreshman in 1979, Niatross roared back as a sophomore todominate harness racing, winning the Triple Crown andMeadowlands Pace. He broke the speed record by almostthree full seconds with his 1:49.1 mile at Lexington, the firstforay by a Standardbred under 1:50. He later went toCalifornia and easily whipped the sport's best older pacers.

TRAINERS 1. Ben White - It's hard to argue against a man who wonfour Hambletonians despite the fact that he was already aveteran by the time the Hambo was first raced. He trained asmall but select stable and often he had several trotters inGrand Circuit stakes. His best included Volo Song andRosalind. He popularized winter training in Florida and atraining track in Orlando was named in his honor. 2. Delvin Miller - When Delvin Miller hit the big ring in

harness racing in the 1940s and50s, the old timers admitted thatthey'd never known anyone with somany talents. He was the first manto drive both the Hambletonian andJug winners in the same year (1950)and he trained other Hambo and Jugwinners that he turned over to catchdrivers. He bought the unprovenstallion Adios and watched himdominate the sport. Miller foundedThe Meadows track In Pennsylvaniaand started the Adios Stake in 1967.

He was harness racing's Goodwill Ambassador and wasloved and admired by all. 3. Stanley Dancer - This intense young man came off adairy farm in New Jersey in the post-World War II era tocatch the wave of harness racing's popularity. He drovehimself hard and he drove his horses even harder. Hisfavored style was to rocket from the gate, get the lead, anddictate the race. Well-heeled owners recognized his ambitionand talent and bankrolled Dancer's Stable with talent suchas Su Mac Lad, Henry T. Adios, Lehigh Hanover, Noble

Victory, Nevele Pride, Super Bowl, Most Happy Fella,Albatross, Bonefish, Keystone Ore, French Chef, Duenna,and others. Dancer was a master at campaigning a tophorse. 4. Billy Haughton - The personable horseman fromupstate New York was harness racing's perpetual motionman from 1950s until his death from a racing accident in1986. He maintained the largest stable in the sport andpleased a cadre of demanding owners with his charm and natural horsemanship. He had an eye for a superb yearlingprospect, could train and drive with the best, and wonfriends and admirers with his personality. His son Peterwas following a similar career arc when he was killed in1980. Later that year, Billy won his fourth Hambletonianwith Burgomeister, who was co-owned by Peter.

MOVERS AND SHAKERS 1. Steve Phillips - Harness racing had been a prominentsport in America since the mid-1800s but as the speed ofracing increased and the sophistication of spectatorschanged, there was a glaring shortcoming. Starts inharness racing were often uneven, unfair, and unsightly.Gaited horses required a moving start, but thetime-honored scoring system produced recalls and delays.Ohioan Steve Phillips was convinced that only a mobilestart using wings operated hydraulically would solve theproblem. He found few supporters, but when the Phillipsgate was introduced after World War II at Roosevelt

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Raceway, it revolutionized harness racing. 2. George M. Levy - Businessman and lawyer, Levybelieved in a future for harness racing conducted at night atan extended meeting. His vision was exemplary, but histiming was poor. When Levy and his partners openedRoosevelt Raceway in 1940, they struggled and lost money,particularly after the start of World War II. But they clung fastto their vision and reaped the rewards in the post-warexplosion of racing. The "new" Roosevelt Raceway built inWestbury on Long Island was rightfully called the "dreamtrack" when it opened in1957. 3. Lawrence B. Sheppard - He was born into both theshoe business and the horse business as his father HarperSheppard made money producing shoes and spent largesums on his horses. Young Lawrence had bigger dreamsand he bought a parcel of horses in 1926 that formed thenucleaus of Hanover Shoe Farms, a commercial breedingfarm far larger in scope than anything harness racing hadseen. Sheppard built to last: Hanover is approaching its 90thanniversary and its management still insists on upholding thehighest possible standards when selecting stallions andbroodmares. It has been the leading breeder since recordswere first kept, and provides industry leadership in manyother important areas. 4. Stanley F. Bergstein - No one influenced harness racing

is more positive ways in the latterhalf of the 20th century thanBergstein. He possessed anembarrassing array of talents; hewas an announcer, race secretary,executive, writer, speaker, historian,auctioneer, and more. He servedHarness Tracks of America asExecutive Vice President for ahalf-century and introducedcountless innovations to the sport.He was one "harness guy" who waswidely known and respected outside

the Standardbred sport. When the scourge of drug usebegan to undermine racing's integrity, Bergstein washarness racing's moral compass, writing passionately aboutthe need to rid the sport of drugs and those people who usedthem.

DRIVERS 1. E.F. "Pop" Geers - He's been gone for 90 years, thevictim of a racing accident like Billy Haughton. Geers wasknown for both his training and driving ability and hedisplayed his talents at a time when gaited horses often hadto be held together by a very patient and very skilledreinsman. Even the best horses in Geers' era would skip andskive at times, get crooked and hit badly, and Geersdemonstrated superiority skill in the sulky. That skill and hisfriendly demeanor earned him the soubriquet as harnessracing's beloved "Grand Old Man." 2. Joe O'Brien - No one could to brave up a tired horsequite like Joe O'Brien. He did it with his hands and hishorsemanship, not with his whip. He proved that over and

over again in time trials at The Red Mile when he wouldjump from sulky to sulky, steering horses he'd never seen,and coaxing from them their ultimate effort. In a race,O'Brien was patient and cagy. He was seldom a factorearly in a race and almost always a factor late in a race. 3. Mike Lachance - Like so many top drivers, Lachancecame south from Canada to ply his profession on thetracks of America. He was practically born in the sulky andwhen he hit the Yonkers-Roosevelt circuit he showed histalents. He soon gravitated to the Meadowlands and to theGrand Circuit and the big wins started to come. He wonthe Jug five times and scored three Hambo wins in the1990s behind Victory Dream, Continentalvictory and SelfPossesses. 4. John Campbell - What can be said that hasn't already

been said about him? He's notonly harness racing's leadingdriver, but he is a person of suchexemplary character and classthat he's the sport's bestspokesman and role model. He ispolite and personable and neverlet his success go to his head.

Don't be misled, however: beneath that kind Canadianpersona lies a fierce competitor who is never satisfied withsecond-best. He could have retired to a life of leisure onthe golf course long ago, but the competitive fires still burnwithin John Campbell. He's always looking for that nextgreat horse.

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Tough Night for Efimetz

So much for the world’s hottest trainer.

Since taking over for suspended trainer Tracy Brainardlittle-know horseman Kevin Efimetz was having the type ofmeet at Saratoga Harness that made you wonder if maybehe was the greatest trainer in the history of the sport. Efimetz came into last night’s card at Saratoga with an 18-for-26 record, which included a streak of 10 straight winners.He had also won 15 of his last 17 races. It was quite anaccomplishment for a trainer who was 3 for 71 in 2006. Last night, though, the Efimetz magic was nowhere to befound. All five of his starters failed to win and only twofinished on the board. For any bettor who was on the Efimetzbandwagon it was a brutal night. He started off with 1-4 shot Racing Rocky who finishedseventh. So much money was bet on him to show that thewinner Sucrose Hanover paid $77 to win and $90.50 toshow. The other show prices were $22 and $65. As the favorite in the seventh, the Efimetz-trained SourceOf Pride broke stride and finished fifth. His 1-5 shot CowboyTerrier finished second in the eighth and he later lost with a4-1 shot and a 9-5 shot.

Coletta’s Lawyers Expected to Announce Details

of Their Suit Monday

The law firm hired to represent stricken driver AnthonyColetta has called a press conference for Monday at 10 amin the Center City Philadelphia offices. At that time they areexpected to announce that they have formally filed a suitagainst Harrah’s Philadelphia for negligence because, theywill allege, a dangerous racetrack surface led to the accidentthat caused serious injuries to the driver. Many details involving Coletta, including an in-depth reporton his current condition have not been divulged but will likelybe included in court filings made by his attorneys, the firm ofSaltz, Mongeluzzi, Barrett & Bendesky. The Coletta team will likely argue that Harrah’s wasnegligent because it failed to do anything to work on theracing surface after drivers repeatedly told them somethinghad to be done because it was unsafe. The accidentoccurred in an area of the track some drivers have said wasparticularly dangerous. Saltz, Mongeluzzi, Barrett & Bendesky hired experts tosurvey the track and assess whether or not it was unsafe.

The results of their survey are also expected to be madepublic Monday. Under mild pressure from the Pennsylvania HarnessCommission, Harrah’s management said that it would haveits own experts take a look at the track, but has yet to saywhat they found or if there will be anything done to theracing surface. Coletta’s parents are scheduled to appear at the pressconference though it is not known whether or not they willaddress their son’s conditions. Coletta suffered seriousinjuries in a Nov. 17 race when the horse directly in front ofhim fell. Coletta’s horse fell over the other horse and hewas catapulted out of his sulky.

HAVE SOMETHING TO GET OFF YOURCHEST?Send a Letter to the Editor of Harness Racing Update at:

editor@harnessracingupdate.com

© Copyright Harness Racing Update.

This newspaper may not be reproduced in any form or by

any means, electronic or mechanical, without prior written

permission of the copyright owner, MB Publishing Inc.

Information as to the races, race results and earnings was

obtained from results charts published by the United States

Trotting Association and utilized here with the permission of

the copyright owner.

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Golden Receiver (1:49.3)

Golden Receiver Digs Down Deep At The Big M

With series action heating up and some more recognizablenames populating the entries, Saturday nights at TheMeadowlands are beginning to feel more event-like.

Golden Receiveris back anddelivered a gallant1:49.3 win in the$30,000 FFA, outgaming DovutoHanover to the wireafter having beenheaded by that onein mid-stretch.Corey Callahan hadGolden Receiver on

the good foot off the wings, crossed over before the first turnand was on a clear, comfortable lead past the half in 54.2.Dovuto Hanover had beaten Golden Receiver two weeksago with an extended hard brush and driver Tim Tetrickattempted to repeat that bull rush strategy tonight. Dovutowon the stretch battle for several strides, poking his head infront temporarily before eventually losing the war. Golden Receiver was winning for the sixtieth time in hisstoried career for owners Our Horse Cents Stable and NinaSimmonds. Mark Harder has his stable stalwart prepared foranother successful campaign. The $20,000 first leg of the Clyde Hirt series split threeways and division one opened the evening’s card with asurprise winner in Ontario Success. The two post timefavorites dueled through the first turn with BurkentineHanover wrestling the lead from Sea And Ski just past the27.4 quarter. When the pace slowed slightly as they nearedthe half, Sea And Ski got rough-gaited in the pocket andbroke. Scott Zeron had placed Ontario Success well backearly, moved behind live cover third over and swept by in theshadow of the wire for the 1:51.2 score. The winner returned $15.80 and coupled with 40-1 bombSummer Smackdown second and mid-priced Stars Abovethird the $1,447 trifecta got the night off to a lucrative startfor the few lucky ticket holders. Ontario Success is owned by Emerald Highlands Farmand trained by Tony O’Sullivan, who came right back to winthe second division of the Hirt with another Woodbineshipper, Avatartist. Driver David Miller employed the “Go to the front andimprove your position” strategy with Avatartist, clearingquickly from the outside post eight and sent an even pacethroughout. Favored Andrew Luck pressed the leader aroundthe final bend and before succumbing and dropped the placephoto to Teresa’s Beach. Avartist became harness racing’slatest 1:50 performer with the win for owners William Hill,Peter Harrison, Mike Saftic and James Walker all from northof the border. The third division of the Clyde Hirt came down to a nosephoto and the nose on the wire was Wake Up Peter. The3-5 favorite, Wake Up Peter, sat a second over trip around

the far turn which was paced in 27 seconds flat and usedevery inch of The Meadowlands stretch to just nail CCHeet Seeker on the wire, who cut the fractions at 17-1. For Wake Up Peter, it was the fourth win in as many startsand the third consecutive since Larry Remmen purchasedhim for owner Bradley Grant at the January TatersallsSale. The driver of Wake Up Peter had a big week asScott Zeron won seven races over the three-day span atThe Meadowlands, including three on tonight’s program. Total handle for the Saturday program was $3,354,414which included slight gains on-track. A reminder that The Meadowlands has added a liveracing card and will race this coming Thursday, March20th, with first post time at 7:15 P.M.

Alan Schwartz Fires Back at Gural

Dear Editor: I'm not sure why Jeff Gural felt the need to insert himselfinto the ongoing dispute between horsemen andmanagement at Monticello Raceway, but I do think it isimportant to set the record straight and clarify severalfactual errors and omissions in Mr. Gural's history lessonabout the creation of the NY Gaming Association (NYGA)and their interaction with horsemen, breeders and theracing industry. First and foremost, it is hard to keep a straight face whenpresented with Mr. Gural's suggestion that neither he northe Executive Director of NYGA knew what was actually inthe casino gaming enacting legislation in regard to industrypayments. NYGA was formed for the express reason ofseeing such legislation passed, and so the idea that bothone of the group's major financial backers and the paidstaff member of said organization were unaware of thespecifics of what they would need to pay to the industry isdownright laughable. Are we actually to believe that theissue of racing industry payments in the proposed new lawnever came up in NYGA's regular strategic conferencecalls over the past two years? The fact is that NYGA wholeheartedly supported andadvocated for a bill that was not supported by the majorityof New York's harness horsemen because while it didinclude a "floor" on payments to horsemen from racinosthat receive full gaming licenses, it also included a hard"cap" on industry support payments at the 2013 level -regardless of how well the expanded, full casino does or

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how much revenue they generate or profit they make. This "cap" on racing payments will essentially serve as ahard cap on any future additional growth in racing andagriculture and will send a message to potential investorsthat while New York may be doing well now, it is closed forfuture business and has no horse breeding or racing growthinvestment opportunities available moving forward. Othercompeting racing states have recognized this basic truth -and understand that racing and breeding should grow rightalong with casino gaming where both on and off trackcasinos are sited - and so therefore have mandatedadditional payments from full casino gaming to racing. Thatis why New York horsemen are continuing to advocate inAlbany for changes to this aspect of the enabling legislation. And why? Because racing and agriculture have anincredibly strong – and objectively proven – economicmultiplier effect across all regions of the state. As much asMr. Gural likes to harp about the $100 million that heapparently resents going to the racing and agricultureindustries, he never seems to follow that up with the 32,000jobs or $4 billion statewide economic impacts that arecreated by our resurgent equine industry. Further, at thesame time that $100 million was going to generate thesemajor economic impacts, there was fully $300 million goingto the track owners that we've never heard them talk about. Not surprisingly, we've also not heard the owners talkmuch about expanding racing opportunities or facilities,because their actions have made it clear what they thinkabout our sport. For example, it's obvious that Mr. Gural istalking about something he knows nothing about – or wassimply not telling the truth – when he suggested in his piecethat Monticello is planning to build a brand new grandstandand 5/8 mile track at their proposed new destination casinosite at the Concord. While it is true that the horsemen wereshown a glossy presentation on just such a proposal severalyears ago as part of the effort to get them on-board with thecasino amendment, they were subsequently notified bymanagement almost immediately after the passage of theamendment that the plans were shelved. Finally, we hope that each and every New York Statehorseman, breeder, legislator, racing official and agriculturalindustry representative will recognize the true import of thestatement that Mr. Gural began his recent column with: "Even here at the Meadowlands, we are losing $17,000 perweek…." Last time I checked, the Meadowlands wasn't aNew York State track, so it's obvious where Mr. Gural's trueinterests lie….and it's certainly not with New York Stateracing or agriculture. To conclude, let's be absolutely clear about what's goingon at Monticello and why Mr. Gural and his fellow NYGAmembers are so far off base. Our Monticello horsemen havesimply proposed - as part of a contract negotiation betweentwo private entities - that Monticello make some level ofadditional payments from their own revenues/vendor's feesto racing, should they be granted a full casino gaminglicense. As noted above, while our purses now have a hardcap imposed on them, the Monticello Casino will have nosimilar cap imposed on their revenues or their profits, and so

we are simply seeking a reasonable opportunity tocontinue to grow the agricultural/farming and racingindustry and work together to succeed right along withthem as we had when we partnered with the tracks to starta VLT program in NY. If they aren't interested in such shared success, anddon't care about the future of agriculture and racing in NewYork, that's absolutely their prerogative and they cancontinue to espouse that position. However, we willcontinue to stand up for what's right for horsemen,agriculture, racing and the state's larger economy.Alan Schwartz, President, Monticello Harness Horsemen'sAssociation

Gural: Here’s Why We Don’t Give Out Information onWho is Banned Since it has been asked why I don't comment on why weexclude a trainer, well, it is simple. I am not a regulatorand my only interest is in protecting our $120 million dollarinvestment and giving our customers the best possibleproduct to watch and wager on. That includes creating alevel playing field for the owners and trainers who thinkthat is important. What amazes me is that not a singletrack owner called to inquire why certain trainers were notallowed to participate. Only two owners called to ask whytheir horses couldn't race at my tracks. I think that says itall.Jeff Gural

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Not Impressed by Decision to Race The Captain

at Delaware

I'm sure if this gets published I will ruffle some feathers . As I read your March 1 article about the Captain andMyron Bell's comments regarding racing on Jug day I justcouldn't help responding with my opinion. His comments about owing this to the Jug Society is totalcrap. As I read between the lines, here is what I read. "Wethe owners have caught too much negativity for dodging adistinct possibility of getting beat and passing on the Jug.We used the excuse of two heats and decided to go out tothe Midwest and beat up on some also-rans. Richard Younghad no problem with two heats in the Jugette, why did we?At the end of the day, this move cost us the Horse of the aYear honors and we never proved we had a super horse .(Super horses don't dodge bullets.) ”Gosh, what we would do if Vegas Vacation drew insideand we drew the outside? We may not even make it past thefirst heat. So let's just not race the best so we have a chanceof an undefeated season.” His decision to pass on the Jug was devastating for thesport. Bell, not the horse, let us all down. I have never met Myron Bell, and am not sure why a horseneeds a manager other than the trainer? Is he a politicianand thinks his story is actually believable? Not sure , buthere we go again. Choosing to race in a $50k race this yearin Delaware instead of going to Harrington and facing thebest of the best, like Foiled Again and the likes, is nodifferent. I bet I'm not the only fan who started to root against him inevery start since he passed on the Jug. Getting beat doesn'tmean you're not great, dodging the best not to get beatshows weakness.Mark Schwartz

Gural Has To Tell Us What is Going On

I couldn’t agree more with your writer who said that JeffGural needs to release the names of who he has bannedand why he has banned them. I can’t imagine why hedoesn’t do so. Why protect these guys? Why not let othertracks know what they were up to so they can make a properjudgment on whether or not they should boot them too? Whynot let owners know that the certain trainer may be a cheatso that the owners, at least the ones with integrity, won’t usethem? Why keep the bettors in the dark? Why keepeveryone in the dark? Imagine if the police arrested someone but refused to tellthe press or anyone else why? People would be outraged.But that’s exactly what Gural is doing. He says he’s trying tomake this a better sport and give it a better chance ofsurviving. If that’s really the case shouldn’t he do more toshed light on the cheating that is going on and who is doingwhat?Chuck Forrest

All in Favor of More Harness Racing on TV I agree there should be more Harness racing on TV.TVG does nothing for Harness racing, and when they doshow it there's no audio, just some stupid music, then therace call. Then on Friday and Saturday from theMeadowlands, with post time they talk about dams & siresfor a race that does not start for 20 minutes when it's posttime for Harness races.Joe Buononato

1, M, $20,000, P, CLYDE HIRT STAKE 3 & 4 Year OldsN/W 3 Extended PM Races or $75,000 Lifetime Up to &Including 12/15/2013 1st Leg, 27.4, 55.4, 1:23.3, 1:51.2, FT1-Ontario Success (g, 4, Lis Mara--Loving Successor,by The Panderosa) O-Emerald Highlands Farm.B-Emerald Highlands Farm. T-Tony Osullivan. D-ScottZeron, $10,000, Lifetime Record: 16-5-3-4, $61,279To view the replay click here

2, M, $30,000, P, A-2/A-1/FFA Handicap Post PositionsDrawn According to Class, 26.4, 54.2, 1:22.4, 1:49.3, FT1-Golden Receiver (g, 9, Village Jove--Royal Gold, byTowner's Big Guy) O-Our Horse Cents Stables & NinaSimmonds. B-Nina Simmonds. T-Mark Harder. D-CoreyCallahan, $15,000, Lifetime Record: 149-60-22-25,$2,130,1362-Dovuto Hanover (g, 4, Dragon Again -Daughterofortune, by Jenna's Beach Boy), $40,000 2011SHS-HBG O-Martin Scharf. B-Hanover Shoe Farms Inc.T-Darran Cassar. D-Tim Tetrick, $7,5003-Easy Again (r, 5, Dragon Again--Kuklapanandollie, byArtsplace), $25,000 2010 SHS-HBG O-Burke RacingStable LLC & Weaver Bruscemi LLC & M1 Stable LLC &The Panhellenic Stb Corp. B-Vieux Carre Farms. T-RonBurke. D-Andrew McCarthy, $3,600Calls: 1T, 1Q, H, HD, NK - Finish Order: Dial Or Nodial,Allstar Legend, Alexie MattosieTo view the replay click here

3, M, $20,000, P, CLYDE HIRT STAKE 3 & 4 Year OldsN/W 3 Extended PM Races or $75,000 Lifetime Up to &Including 12/15/2013 1st Leg, 26.4, 54.4, 1:22.1, 1:50.0, FT1-Avatartist (g, 4, Rocknroll Hanover--Cameron D Art,by Camluck), $25,000 2011 SHS-HBG O-William A Hill,CA & Peter G Harrison, CA & Michael J Saftic, CA &James H Walker, CA. B-Perretti Racing Stb LLC. T-TonyOsullivan. D-David Miller, $10,000, Lifetime Record:30-9-2-5, $110,188To view the replay click here

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JUST 2 MILES FROM THE CANADIAN BORDER AT LACOLLE, QUEBEC

AND 50 MILES FROM MONTREAL, QUEBEC!

ROCKNROLL HANOVER - PANNED OUT - JATE LOBELLP,2,1:52.1S; 3,1:47.2 ($365,952)

panther hanoverTHE FASTEST 3YO OF 2012IS NOW THE FASTEST STANDING IN NEW YORK!

HarnessRacingUpdate.com • 3/16/14 PAGE 10 of 10

11, M, $20,000, P, CLYDE HIRT STAKE 3 & 4 Year OldsN/W 3 Extended PM Races or $75,000 Lifetime Up to &Including 12/15/2013 1st Leg, 28.0, 56.1, 1:23.1, 1:51.3, FT1-Wake Up Peter (h, 4, Rocknroll Hanover--Lovely Lady,by Die Laughing), $20,000 2011 LEX-SEL O-Bradley JGrant, CA. B-White Birch Farm. T-Larry Remmen. D-ScottZeron, $10,000, Lifetime Record: 32-6-4-8, $631,571To view the replay click here

1, PPk, $10,000, P, OPEN *, 26.2, 54.2, 1:22.3, 1:50.3, FT1-Prairie Jaguar (g, 6, Spy Hard--Cat Lady, by Arturo)O-Laurie Lee Poulin & Michael D Deters. B-Melvin Hartman,CA. T-Michael Deters. D-Jason Dillander, $5,000, LifetimeRecord: 71-15-8-5, $82,222Replay not available

2, WDB, $34,000, P, PREFERRED. 27.3, 56.2, 1:23.1, 1:50.41-Apprentice Hanover (b,h,4 - Somebeachsomewhere -Allamerican Nadia-Dragons Lair) O-Bradley Grant, B-Hanover Shoe Farms T-Benjamin Wallace D-Jody Jamieson$17,000 Lifetime Record: 34-16-2-5 $597,474To view the replay click here

6, YR, $22,000, P, NON-WINNERS OF $32,000 IN LAST 6STARTS, 27.3, 56.1, 1:24.3, 1:52.3, FT1-Montana Pablo A (g, 7, Blissfull Hall--Gold Liner, byShipps Fella) O-Joseph V Muscara. B-K G Day, AS.T-Darran Cassar. D-Ron Pierce, $11,000, Lifetime Record:91-22-13-7, $171,021To view the replay click here

8, YR, $20,000, P, NON-WINNERS OF $25,000 IN LAST 6STARTS, 27.4, 57.3, 1:25.4, 1:53.1, FT1-Special Forces (h, 5, Real Desire--Special Magic, byCamluck), $30,000 2010 LEX-SELO-Country Club Acres Inc & William J Robinson & Mike HMallett. B-Brittany Farms. T-Ron Burke. D-George Brennan,$10,000, Lifetime Record: 38-15-3-3, $173,471To view the replay click here

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